Radama Ier

Radama is a sovereign of the Royaume Merina, become then the first sovereign of the Royaume of Madagascar.

Radama or Laidama which was born with Ambohimanga towards 1793 was the son junior by the king Andrianampoinimerina, which preferred with his Ramavolahy older brother to succeed to him. Very early indeed, his/her father noticed his qualities of born leader, so much so that he did not hesitate to entrust to him the command of the first forwarding against the kingdom of Andrantsay, in the future Vakinankaratra, whereas he was still adolescent.

At once on the throne, after the death of his/her father in 1810, Radama had to carry out several victorious forwardings against the Bezanozano, the Sihanaka and of the principalities Betsileo which, thinking of being able to benefit from its political inexperience, tried to find their independence fully. The proof was thus made that hegemony Merina was solid and it did not remain any more in Radama but to seek the means of achieving the political legacy of his father, enjoignant to him “to make sea the limit of its rice plantations” ( Ny ranomasina No valamparihiko ). In other words, to extend its authority until in the coastal regions in order to being able to treat directly with the European powers. The occasion to pass to the action was going to be to him provided by the the United Kingdom itself.

Indeed, during the signature of the Treated of Paris of 1814, the question of the possession of Madagascar by the European powers had been left in authority. This encouraged Robert T. Farquhar, the British governor of the Mauritius to seek the alliance of a local power to help it to thwart the French ambitions. Having included/understood whereas the kingdom merina had only the possibility of answering its waitings, it dispatched at Radama of the missions to convince it to take possession of the principalities of the east coast, for the majority held in hand by Malato close to the France and whose economic main activity seems to have been the trade of the slaves. This appeared all the more legitimate in Farquhar that the the United Kingdom had abolished the milked négrière and had been given for mission of preventing the other European nations from continuing this practice.

Thus Radama rua with the head of its troops on the east coast to neutralize the resistance of the local leaders everywhere. Then, the October 23rd 1817, it signed with the British emissary an agreement where, in exchange of the abolition of the trade of the slaves with Europeans, it received an assistance to modernize its kingdom. He moreover was recognized in advance like the king of any Madagascar.

Since then, in spite of an unhappy hitch due to the temporary absence of Robert Farquhar whose engagements had not been respected by its substitute, Radama could make sure of the British support to help it to achieve its great intentions.

To spread European education among its subjects, it used the Protestant missionary S which settled with Tananarive to open schools (the first even began the courses the December 8th 1820 with the palate!) and, thereafter, to introduce the Printing works. On this occasion, the March 26th 1823, it issued the rules of the Orthographe of the language merina (become the “Malgache” for Europeans) in Latin characters. It could all the more take part itself directly in work with the missionaries whom it controlled the writing arabico-Madagascan (Sora-Be) for a long time and could also communicate in French (and a little in English). It is however advisable to note that in spite of its close cooperation with the missionaries, Radama itself had not adhered and will never adhere to their religious lesson and, of alive sound, none of its subjects had openly converted with the Christianisme. All that he sought near Europeans was the diffusion of their “profane knowledge”.

In addition to basic education, Radama also made come many European craftsmen to open vocational schools. The King held so much to encourage the development of teaching that, on the occasion, he did not hesitate to make pass itself the examinations and offer rewards to more deserving. So that in ten years hardly, the number of the pupils passed by the benches of the school had to exceed 20 000 in Imerina. Several tens of students were even sent to the Mauritius and the United Kingdom to continue their studies.

Between 1817 and 1820, the troops of Radama Ier undergo heavy losses (25 000 men, is a man on three, according to the tradition, at the time of the second countryside against the Menabe), which leads the king to modernize his army which becomes best island until the French invasion. In 1820, Radama Ier renews the treaty with the British, and receives the assistance of three general promoted foreign sergeants: James Hastie, a Scot of the army of the Indies, Brady, a mulatto of Jamaica and Robin, a French deserter of the Meeting. He reduces manpower to 15 000 soldiers and founds a double system of recruitment: the voluntariate, reserved for richest which can buy a rifle and imported modern equipment; the conscription in certain provinces, allowing to mobilize 50% of the valid men and to renew manpower regularly. It institutes a new taxation imposing the civilians (borizano, of middle-class man) and renewal fees. It makes import recent rifles dating from the wars of the Revolution and the Empire, the guns and even of the horses. It founds a hierarchy in ten ranks ( will voninnahitra ) and a strict military payment.

With the assistance of the European instructors and his army with modernized, it could soon multiply the campaigns to oblige the other sovereigns of the island to recognize his authority, so in particular which they abstain from now on treating directly with the external powers. The only princes who succeeded in withdrawing themselves from it were those of the Tanala of Ikongo, with the territory wedged in the forest, those of the country Bara and the semi-desert areas of the extreme-south, and finally those of Ambongo, area also very little populated, without much strategic interest. As much to say that the essence of Madagascar, and in particular all the ports being of some interests, had fallen under its control.

Unfortunately, following infections contracted during its multiple forwardings in the unhealthy areas of the littoral, according to the ones, of alcohol excess (in a state of delirium tremens ), according to the others, Radama died suddenly in Antananarivo the July 27th 1828, at the 36 years age. In the absence of a direct heir likely to take his succession, it is his wife whom one made assemble on the throne under the name of Ranavalona (1st).

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